State of Ruin

Silk Road Assassins are a trio of British producers whose days are spent creating music and sound design for films and video games. Together, they craft a highly dystopian hybrid of grime and trap, filled with earth-shaking bass and crashing metallic noises that sound like robot warfare. Arriving three years after their debut EP (2016's Reflection Spaces), the Assassins' long-awaited debut album was recorded both separately and united, with finishing touches applied at Abbey Road Studios. State of Ruin maintains its sense of futuristic dread and urban decay throughout, with shadowy, icy textures reinforcing the gloomy atmosphere. Yet there are flickers of nostalgia in the tender melody of "Bloom," and a few electrifying jolts of adrenaline during the tracks that seem like combat scenes. "Bowman" features a few momentary flashes of jungle breakbeats that anticipate something heavier, then "Shadow Realm" (featuring Russian cyberspace-dwelling collective WWWINGS) erupts in a shower of laser-blasted destruction. Frightening and utterly exhilarating. The rest of the album isn't as overtly violent, but it's no less captivating, and it confirms the Assassins' mastery of building apocalyptic sound worlds. ~ Paul Simpson